Moshe Silman, 52, was one of thousands of protesters who joined a protest rally in Tel Aviv's Kaplan Street on Saturday, to commemorate the tent city rallies of July 14, 2011.

Other protesters were quick to extinguish the flames that engulfed Silman. He was rushed to hospital with 80 percent third degree burns where he remains in a serious, but not life-threatening condition.

Ynet reported that prior to his self-immolation Silman read a letter aloud and then left copies on the ground. The letter read:

“The Israeli state has stolen from me and left me nothing. I blame the State of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu and Yuval Steinitz for the constant humiliation the citizens of Israel have to endure on a day-to-day basis. They take from the poor and give to the rich.

I can't afford medication or rent. I paid millions in tax, I served in the army and in the reserves until I was 46. I won't be homeless and that is why I am protesting against all the wrongs the state imposes on people like me."

Activists claim the Netanyahu government has done little to address the issues of social injustice despite promises made last October to settle the tent rallies.